When Danny Florence, from Durham, was just five years old, he survived being stricken with meningitis but lost his right hand and both his legs in the process.
He has gotten used to having missing limbs, normally using prosthetic legs and an electric wheelchair during daily life, but when he became a first-time dad earlier this year, he wanted to raise funds for a mechanical limb that would help him care for his baby.
Watch to learn more about his story below!
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Video credit: Rumble
The 26-year-old dad couldn’t bathe, dress, or change his son Joshua’s diapers, and he didn’t want to miss out on all these little things about being a dad.
Danny had managed to raise a third of the amount that he needed when Maxon, another company that works with Open Bionics for the prosthetic, offered to sponsor him. And this month, Danny will finally have an Open Bionics Hero Arm fitted.
His own muscles will control the arm so it’s the most realistic prosthetic he can get.
Danny, a bank worker, said: “I’ve always managed well with only one hand but when my son Joshua came along ago, I realized how much more I could do with two.
“I’ve never changed his nappy. Some people have asked ‘why would you want that?’
“But as a dad, you want to do everything. I can’t do things like dress him. Even on myself, I struggle with buttons and stuff.
“I’m incredibly excited. It’s going to make a massive difference in my life, and hopefully, Joshua’s as well.”
Danny and his partner Danielle Lilley already expected a few issues with more dexterous tasks like diaper changing and getting their baby dressed. But they underestimated how this would affect how Danny would bond with his son who turned one.
They even thought Danielle would have to quit her job because Danny couldn’t handle Joshua alone. But with the bionic arm, Danny now hopes to take a more active role at home.
Currently, the Hero Arm is only available privately although Open Bionics says they are negotiating with the NHS and hope it will be funded in the near future.
Danny said: “This technology should be offered to everyone. This is life-changing, not only for the obvious physical side but mentally as well.
“People who lose limbs can get very depressed, struggling with the ongoing pain and mourning the life they had before. They can even contemplate suicide.
“This hand has such huge benefits, it should be available on the NHS and I want to help the cause to make that happen.”
He added: “I’d like to say thank you to Maxon as well as everyone who raised money. We had a huge amount of people come forward to help and all that money will be used for the maintenance of the hand.”
Replaced!